The Argosy — page 114: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

306 THE ARGOSY. ‘Or what ?’’ ‘‘ Or riding with Hamylton Tregethner,’’ she answered, laughing again gleefully. ‘‘ Do you notice how easily I can say that dreadful name ?’’ ‘‘T notice I like it better from your lips than from any others.” ‘ Pve practised it—and it was so difficult. But I might even get to like it in time, you know.”’ ‘* By the wes I remember you once told me you didn’t like Hamylton Precethuer.? ‘““Ah, yes. That was my brother’s old friend. A very disagreeable person. He wanted to take my brother away from Moscow. A person must be very unpleasant who wishes to divide brother and sister. Don’t you think so?”’ ‘That depends on the rate of exchange,”’ said I. ‘‘ Perhaps, but at that time there was no talk of exchange at all.” ‘“And no thought of it.’’ 3 ‘“Ah!”’? And for answer she nestled to me again, and merged the sister in the lover with a readiness and pleasure that-showed what she thought of that particular exchange. | And with these little intervals of particularly sweet and pleasant light and shade, we traveled the miles to Moscow in what seemed to us an incred- ibly short time. CHAPTER XXII.—THE BEGINNING OF THE END. It was not until a night’s rest had rendered me again subject to the pressure of actualities that I fully realized how the avowal of my love had rather increased than diminished the difficulties of our position. Despite my fatigue and wound I was stirring in good time, and had had the doctor’s report and interviewed the colonel to get leave from regimental work in time to get round to see Olga pretty early. I wished to discuss with her the whole position before going to report to Prince Bilbassoff the result of things with Devinsky. The manner in which Olga met me was one of the sweetest things imagin- able, and the presence of the good aunt, the Countess Palitzin, added to its effect. They were sitting together when I entered. ‘It is Alexis, aunt,’’ said Olga, rising. She was a mixture of laughing love and sisterly indifference. ‘* Alexis, you are a good lad, a dear lad,”’ said the old lady, usually very stately and punctilious. ‘Come here, boy, and kiss me and let me kiss you. You have done splendidly and bravely in this matter of Olga. She has told mine all about it.’’ — “ All?”’ I echoed, looking at Olga, who tried to keep the smile that was dancing in her eyes from traveling to her lips. ‘“ All that a sister need tell,’’ she said. ‘Olga, I have no patience with you,’’ exclaimed the aunt. ‘‘ You have a brother in a thousand—in ten thousand—and yet you speak in that way. And I see you never kiss him now. I should like to know why. Are you Eomicbooks en, Sn” Oe ee = ee > = Sd (ef e)